Baylor University Medical Center Program (Dallas)
Baylor University Medical Center Department of Pathology 3500 Gaston Avenue Dallas, TX 75246 Lisa Hines Residency Program Coordinator Telephone: (214) 820-3772 E-mail: Lisa.hines@BSWHealth.org Anatomic and Clinical Pathology Residency Program Chief of Pathology: Peter Dysert II, M.D. Pathology Residency Program Director: Peter Dysert II, M.D. Associate Director for Anatomic Pathology: Amanda Profit, M.D. Associate Director for Clinical Pathology: Raul Benavides, M.D. Resident Program Coordinator: Lisa Hines Website: http://www.baylorhealth.edu/education/gradmeded/residencies/pathologyresidency/Pages/default.aspx Number of Residents: 4-5 residents per year / 18 total residents Fellowships Offered: Hematopathology (1-2 positions / year); Surgical Pathology (1 position/year) CAP Standardized Fellowship Application Accepted? Yes Resident Experience 1 (PGY3): Pros: * Mid-sized program with awesome group of residents (18 total) * AP Pros: ** 3 month intro to surgical pathology at the beginning of 1st year ("bootcamp") *** 1st month: Grossing 101; instructed by two insanely good PAs (Quinnipiac University and Duke University trained); graduated responsibility from ditzels to complex resection specimens *** 2nd month: PGY1 is paired with PGY4 "junior staff" and guided through sign-out process/basic histology *** 3rd month: first solo month! ** Graduated responsibility in regards to case load/complexity ** "Bizarre Baylor": cases variety/interesting cases are an everyday occurrence (great for boards) *** Compiled resident efforts to get educational re-cuts on interesting/unusual cases for self-study slide reviews ** Variety of fellowship trained staff who are easy to work with and foster resident interest/education ** Grossing hours are reasonable, and it is a team effort between the PAs/other residents on rotation *** Gross 2 days out of 6 day cycle *** Typical grossing hours: 7:30-5:30pm (Hours are resident skill-dependent; can be later if you do not ask for help, are new (PGY1) or are just a little slower) *** Your late day is typically your "bigs" preview day/night *** Average hours/wk worked: 40-50 * CP Pros: ** MedFusion: Lewisville, TX based reference laboratory where the majority of our CP rotations happen *** Endless research and hands-on CP opportunities *** State-of-the-art technologies (Verigene® System from Nanosphere, MALDI-TOF) utilized in a tangible setting *** Beautiful work environment (floor to ceiling windows, zen garden etc) *** Renowned, friendly and approachable staff who work directly with residents: http://medfusionservices.com/about-us/scientific-team/ ** Plenty of study time, and time to catch up on research projects, autopsies, etc. ** Hematopathology service is robust, and led by the incomparable Dr. Krause * AP Cons: ** Can be overwhelming when you are first starting out (will likely be the case at any program) ** Generally positive work relationship between residents and staff, but an occasional personality conflict is not uncommon ** Tuesday didactics (7:30am-10:30am) are long, and it can be difficult to stay engaged *** The program director and assistant program director have addressed this by bringing in an education specialist who determined the learning styles of each resident, educated staff of teaching styles/modalities and encouraged the program to redistribute the third didactic hour to a different time (in progress). * CP Cons: ** MedFusion site can be a commute depending on where you live in DFW ** Back-and-forth between MedFusion and BUMC main campus for tumor board responsibilities can be frustrating ** Resident needs to self-motivate in order to get the most out of the CP rotations General Information: Are residents allowed to do external rotations? * Yes; GMEC requires you attend a meeting and present why it would be beneficial for your education (i.e. other program offers procedure experience like FNAs or bone marrow biopsies that BUMC does not offer). Not only are they regularly approved, but the resident is home-funded regardless of where the outside rotation is. Are there in-house fellowships? * Yes; BUMC offers a Hematopathology fellowship with 1-2 spots per year (strong consideration for internal candidates) * There is a strong established relationship with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Department of Pathology cytology fellowship (several past residents have completed training there). Do the residents run the tumor board service? * Yes; Although typically fellow driven, the BUMC pathology tumor board experience is run by the residents. This will prepare even the most shy resident to become comfortable and capable at presenting a pathology report/case succinctly and professionally. ** Pro: A HUGE bonus skill when applying to fellowships. ** Con: Preparing for a tumor board presentation can be very time consuming, depending on the specialty. Do the residents on-call or on blood bank have to approve blood utilization real-time? * No; All blood bank utilization review is retrospective at BUMC. The resident on the blood bank rotation with assist in the review; however, the on-call resident will not receive utilization calls. Do the residents on-call cover transfusion reactions? * Yes; All possible transfusion reactions are triaged by the on-call pathology resident, with confirmation performed by Dr. Mays. Do the residents eviscerate during autopsies? * No; A professional autopsy technician is generally present during each autopsy, along with the departmental autopsy pathologist Dr. Guileyardo. A provisional report is generated between the resident and Dr. G after each autopsy. How much vacation do I get? * 15 days/year, plus an additional week during the end-of-year holidays. * Also, get the following days off: ** Independence Day ** Labor Day ** Thanksgiving Day ** Christmas Day ** New Year's Day ** Memorial Day Is parking free? * Yes and it's just across the street! Do the resident get a meal stipend? * Yes; $60 per month added to our cards. In conjunction with our resident discount and all the conferences with free food, it's easy to eat free forever here. Resident Experience 2 (PGY4): Pros: * close-knit group of residents * excellent case variety and volume in all areas Cons: Changes in response to suggestions are rare and slow when they happen * Frozen section service can be extremely busy (however, this is likely the case at any program) * Many tumor boards and conferences to prepare for. Average work hours on surg path? * ~70 Do you feel you have: Adequate preview time? * Generally, yes Adequate support staff (P.A.’s, secretarial, etc.)? * Yes. We have 2 PAs, 4 transcriptionists, 3 secretaries, etc. Generally the secretaries and transcriptionists are great at helping. Grossing volume occasionally too high and still have to stay late into the night. Adequate AP teaching? * Dr Adair is semi-retired, but returns periodically for lectures. Generally good lectures from other staff. Adequate CP Teaching? * Lots of change-up in CP staff lately, but still get solid teaching from Drs. Krause, Kumar, and various other med fusion staff Hematopathology Fellowship